


Wet Wayhaught American Summer

by frontporchsmile



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:13:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25102225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frontporchsmile/pseuds/frontporchsmile
Summary: Nicole's a new counselor, Waverly's home for the summer, and Wynonna's still a quippy, reckless shit-stirrer. Summer camp at Camp Pinecrest is about to get Wayhaught.
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 22
Kudos: 97





	1. Welcome to Pinecrest

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a little something I'm trying to work on and finish before classes start again. Just trying to distract myself from the shitstorm that is 2020, one chapter at a time. I'm gonna actually try to post a chapter once a week. Fingers crossed that actually happens. My hope is that this chapter makes some of you smile. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!

Waverly Earp was exhausted. She had been running back and forth all morning, making sure that the Pinecone Cabin had six mattresses and the Misty Mountain Cabin had an unexpired fire extinguisher. As much as she loved coming home and helping Aunt Gus and Uncle Curtis after a long year at school, the month of May felt like a spinning carnival ride, one that she had to hold onto as tightly as possible if she wanted to make it to June. The first two weeks of May always consisted of running from one cabin to another and cleaning every inch of the property for the first group of summer campers. Every day since returning to the campgrounds, Waverly would wake up around 7:30 and make her way to the lake, the mess hall, the cabins, or the stables to make sure things were in tip top shape. By the time the campers actually arrived on the property, Waverly was ready to sleep for months. She didn't mind, though. She'd do anything for her aunt and uncle, just like they would do anything for her. Plus, Waverly loved helping the little kids and showing them just how fun the outdoors could be. She would never forget her own time as a camper at Pinecrest. She'd sleep in one of the cabins with all the other kids and wake up to fun activities at the lake or arts and crafts under the trees in the pecan orchard. College was amazing. It was everything Waverly had hoped for, but being there made her miss camp life even more. She'd promised herself that she'd always come back to Pinecrest in the summer and give back to the place that was and would always be home. 

"There's blood on the mattress in the Orchard Cabin," Wynonna grunted as she hoisted herself through the Honeysuckle Cabin's open window. 

"Jeez!" Waverly startled, dropping the Windex bottle she was holding on her big toe. She jerked her foot up off the ground, losing her flipflop in the process, and grabbed a hold of her toe. 

"Someone's jumpy. You getting prepared for all the little campers who are gonna want to prank Miss Waverly?"

She wasn't wrong. Every summer since Waverly had started counseling at age seventeen, the kids in her cabin had pulled harmless, but somewhat terrifying pranks on her. It was all good fun, and Waverly hated to stop them, especially since she had been a part of a few pranks as a little kid at camp. 

"You said there's blood?" Waverly asked, changing the subject and picking up the Windex bottle. 

"Orchard Cabin," Wynonna nodded. 

"You better deal with that then," Waverly suggested, spraying Windex on the last dirty window and wiping the grime away. 

"Me?!" Wynonna asked, an offended look washing over her face. "Gus didn't say anything about bloody mattresses." Wynonna tossed Waverly the keys, only for Waverly to jerk them right back in her direction. Wynonna caught them with ease and tossed them back, challenging Waverly to play the game of catch until someone got tired. 

"How much blood is it?" Waverly relented, knowing that there was no way that she could beat her sister in stubbornness. 

Waverly scanned the cabin one more time, counting the mattresses and taking note of the fire extinguisher and clean windows. She locked the door to the Honeysuckle Cabin behind her and followed Wynonna down the dirt trail towards the Orchard Cabin. Wynonna's dark hair was swept into a ponytail. Strands of hair spilled out here and there, sticking to the back of her neck and the top of her forehead. Her thin, grey tank top showed a few spots of sweat on her back, proving that even Wynonna wasn't impervious to the heat and humidity. Regardless of the heat, Wynonna wore her distressed skinny jeans and dark, leather boots. Wynonna swung the cabin door open and ushered Waverly in first, pointing towards the top bunk closest to the door. Waverly rested her hands on her hips, letting the Windex bottle dangle on her finger. She gave Wynonna a pointed look. 

"Waves, please," Wynonna begged. 

Waverly continued to look at her older sister, hoping that, just this once, Wynonna would feel responsible for her own cabin and take care of it herself, blood and all. Wynonna rolled her eyes and got on her knees, holding onto her little sister's legs. 

"Babygirl, please! I swear I'll work your mess hall shift for the entire first week." 

"First two weeks," Waverly corrected. 

"First week and a half."

Waverly relented, handing her sister the Windex bottle before climbing up the bunkbed ladder. 

"Clean the windows while you're down there," Waverly said. She braced herself against the bed frame and took a deep breath before looking down at the mattress. There, in the center of the bed was a small splotch of dried blood. Waverly prided herself on her iron stomach. She didn't really lose her lunch over anything, but she had to admit she really didn't want to touch this mattress. She pulled her phone out of her jean shorts back pocket and dialed Gus' number. 

"Waverly, did you finish the last cabin?"

"Almost," she mumbled, her back starting to ache from crouching over the bed. 

"Have you seen your sister?" Gus asked. 

Waverly could tell Gus was frustrated, moving back and forth wherever she was on the property. 

"I'm with her right now. We're in the last cabin."

"You and Wynonna should have been at lunch half an hour ago. Curtis put your plates in the microwave to keep warm."

"There's kind of a problem," Waverly grunted, having just lost her footing on the top rung of the ladder and caught herself on the edge of the bed, mere inches from the blood stain. 

"What kind of problem?" Gus asked, her footfalls immediately stopping. 

"Tell Gus I say hi," Wynonna interrupted from her perch on one of the other mattresses. 

Wavery rolled her eyes and explained to Gus about the blood stain. She felt bad for the camper who used this bed. No one had been seriously injured on the Pinecrest property, so it was pretty obvious a kid had started their period and not felt comfortable enough to tell a counselor. Waverly could remember being a little kid and not knowing how to tell Gus about that. Wynonna was already a regular at the local juvenile detention center, so she didn't really have a sister to talk to either. She'd been so afraid to tell Gus that she'd washed her underwear in the shower for months before Gus found out and bought her a box of tampons, which Waverly promptly replaced with a bright pink DivaCup. 

"Why don't you and Wynonna carry the mattress up to the house? Curtis can take it to the landfill, and then we can put the last replacement mattress we ordered in that cabin."

"Gus wants us to carry this up to the house," Waverly said to Wynonna once she was off the phone, tapping the side of the mattress for emphasis. 

"Let's get 'er done!" Wynonna said in a fake southern accent, hopping off the bunk she was on and spritzing Windex in the air. 

The two of them flipped the mattress off the top bunk, not worried about it hitting the floor, since it was bound for the dump. They picked it up, Wynonna taking the side that allowed her to walk forward through the cabin door. Waverly was forced to walk backwards, stepping over the cabin threshold, down the porch steps, and up the hilly trail to the main house. The mattress wasn't necessarily heavy, since it was a twin sized mattress, but it was cumbersome, and Waverly found herself wondering if she was carrying the majority of the weight by herself. 

"Wynonna, lift it," Waverly grunted, feeling her arms turn into spaghetti the closer they got to the house. 

"I am lifting," Wynonna wheezed back. 

"Doubtful," Wavelry mumbled under her breath.

"Excuse?" Wynonna asked, her eyebrows raising. "Did you say you wanted me to let you do it alone?" She let the mattress fall slightly, testing Waverly's grip on the other side.

"Wynonna!" Waverly pleaded, relaxing as Wynonna lifted more from her side. 

"I hope I'm not missing all the fun!" a loud voice called from the driveway above the house.

Just as Waverly whipped her head around to get a glimpse of the redheaded figure behind her, Wynonna completely dropped her side of the mattress. Waverly's feet slid on the grass, and the mattress landed on her legs, pinning her to the ground. 

"Thank God! Someone new to take over!" Wynonna yelled, waving the new person over to them. "I'm Wynonna, and you're my hero!" Wynonna reached her hand toward the redhead, and the two of them shook hands virtually over Waverly and the fallen mattress. 

"I'm Nicole, and this is...?"

Nicole bent down to lift the mattress off of Waverly's legs.

"Waverly," she blushed as she pulled herself off the ground.

"It's nice to meet you both. I'm actually here to see Gus Gibson if either of you know her," Nicole said, standing up straight.

"How about you grab the other side of that mattress, and Waves and I can show you the way," Wynonna offered, moving quickly up the hill in order to avoid any protests Nicole might have. 

Nicole grinned at Waverly as the two of them picked up the mattress. 

"I'm a new counselor here. Gus hired me for the summer," Nicole said. 

"Welcome! Wynonna and I are the owners' nieces, but we grew up here, so we can probably answer any questions you have," Waverly responded, opting to be super helpful, since her first interaction with the new counselor would probably scar her for the rest of her life. 

It wasn't until the two of them tossed the mattress into the back of Curtis' truck that Nicole asked, "Is that blood?"


	2. Nicole Haught

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, we meet Nicole Haught and all the other Camp Pinecrest counselors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is having a good week so far! I'm posting early, since I've gotten a good bit of writing finished so far. So, this story will be updated potentially on both Wednesdays and Sundays but definitely once a week.

Waverly and Nicole walked up the front steps to the house where Gus and Curtis were talking. Curtis was holding his car keys, twirling them around his pointer finger. Wynonna had already run ahead of Nicole and Waverly and into the house where lunch was waiting. 

"Who's this?" Gus asked, interrupting Curtis mid sentence. 

"Nicole," Waverly answered before Nicole could even open her mouth. 

"Nicole what?"

"Haught, ma'am," Nicole responded, reaching her hand toward Gus to introduce herself. 

"Hot?" Waverly asked, her cheeks flushing a bright red.

Nicole grinned at Waverly, noticing that the shorter girl was blushing. 

"The new counselor, right!" Gus took Nicole's hand in her own and shook it firmly. "You're early."

"Yeah, there was only one bus heading this way from my hometown this week. I'd have to wait another week to head out, and by then I'd miss the first week of campers. Did you not get my email?" 

Gus shook her head, her forehead creasing in thought. 

"Well, I'm Gus and this is Curtis. I see you've already met Wynonna and Waverly."

"Hey," Wynonna nodded her head from the screened door, half a sandwich dangling from her mouth. 

Nicole smiled at her before turning back to Gus and Curtis. 

"Why don't you go on to the landfill. The girls and I can finish with all the cleaning and get Nicole settled," Gus said, nudging Curtis toward the porch steps. 

Curtis grunted before heading down the stairs, nodding at Nicole and squeezing Waverly's elbow on his way past her. As if finally realizing that she had been smushed by a blood soaked mattress, Waverly climbed to the top of the porch, pushed past Wynonna, and headed to her bedroom to find a change of clothes. She swapped her purple Camp Pinecrest t-shirt for a gray Camp Pinecret t-shirt that she and Wynonna had turned into a crop top. For good measure, she added another layer of deodorant and smoothed down her long braid. 

Downstairs, Gus had served Nicole a plate of warm food and seated her next to Wynonna at the kitchen table. 

"Where are you from exactly, Nicole," Gus asked, while warming up Waverly's plate in the microwave.

"It's a really small town about forty-five minutes from Portland, Oregon."

"That's quite a long bus trip," Gus said.

"Yeah that's long as fu-" Wynonna cut herself off after catching Gus' eyes.

"I guess so, but it's a whole lot cheaper than a plane ticket. I like long car rides, and my dad actually lives in Atlanta, so I might stop by and see him after camp's over."

"So you're like really outdoorsy," Wynonna said.

"I mean, I guess so. I did Girl Scouts for a long time, and when I was younger I went on Boy Scouting trips with my cousins. Those trips were always more fun than the trips they planned for the Girl Scouts."

"Waverly, your lunch is in the microwave."

Nicole turned around in her chair to see Waverly move into the kitchen and past Gus to get her plate of food. 

"These are really good mashed potatoes, Mrs. Gibson," Nicole commented. 

"It's Gus, and Curtis actually made those." 

Waverly sat down across from Wynonna and started to eat. Nicole scoured her brain for something to say to this girl, but all she could think about was how nice her hair looked in the sunlight that came through the kitchen windows. She had soft looking, tan skin and honey brown hair. She was small but muscular, and her eyes and nose crinkled when she talked and smiled. Nicole shook her head and smiled to herself. Pretty girls always got her into trouble. She scooted her chair back from the table and moved to put her plate in the dishwasher. 

"Now, I'd say Wynonna can give you a tour of the place, but I'm not sure she'd actually follow through, and I'd hate for you to start work and not know which way is up," Gus said, taking Nicole's plate from her and loading it into the dishwasher herself. 

"Waverly, would you mind showing Nicole the campgrounds? She's gonna be in the..." Gus looked at the clipboard that sat on the edge of the counter. "She'll be in the Misty Mountain Cabin." 

"Sure," Waverly agreed, shoveling the last forkful of food into her mouth and standing from the table. 

"And while they're doing that, Wynonna, you and I can replace the mattress and work on cleaning the bathrooms."

"But I want to spend time with Haught-Stuff," Wynonna muttered. She trudged to the back door where she left her boots and slipped them on, leaving her plate on the table. 

Waverly grabbed Wynonna's plate too and put them in the dishwasher. 

"You ready?" she asked Nicole, smiling one of her million dollar smiles before walking to the porch. 

Nicole followed behind her, picking up her duffel bag as she went. The two walked down the sloping trail towards the cluster of cabins. Waverly's flip flops made soft thudding noises against the ground, while Nicole's Timberlands silently pressed into the soft grass. 

"So these are obviously our cabins. They've all got cheesy nature names. There's the Pinecone Cabin, Dogwood Cabin, Honeysuckle Cabin, Orchard Cabin, Creek Bed Cabin, Big River Cabin, and Misty Mountain Cabin. All of them are the same, but every counselor has their favorite. You're not the only new counselor this summer. I think there are three of you, so you can always fight them for the Creek Bed Cabin and the Orchard Cabin."

Waverly continued to ramble, explaining to Nicole that each counselor was in charge of a cabin, and each cabin housed six or eight kids. Nicole's cabin was one that housed eight kids. 

"It's not the biggest camp, but it's nice, and all the kids get to know one another," Waverly shrugged. 

"So you were a camper here too?"

"Yeah, I've been a camper and a counselor in the Honeysuckle Cabin since I was eight years old. Normally the campers don't get to choose their cabin, even the returning campers, but Gus played favorites with me."

"How about Wynonna?"

"She didn't camp here more than one summer. She's really just worked a couple years as a counselor."

Waverly walked up the porch steps of the Misty Mountain Cabin and unlocked the door with the large ring of master keys. Nicole didn't ask anymore questions about Waverly or Wynonna, not wanting to ask anything that seemed to pushy. She looked around the room, noticing four bunk beds, eight mattresses total. 

"You said there are eight campers in this cabin. Where do the counselors sleep?"

"Back here," Waverly said, leading the way through the room and past a blue curtain. Behind the curtain was a small bathroom with two shower stalls, two toilet stalls, and two sinks. Waverly continued to walk through the bathroom until she reached the other side and opened a wooden door into a tiny room. It was basically a closet with a tiny twin bed and a small chest of drawers. One small window allowed light to shine into the room. 

"It isn't much," Waverly said, "but it does keep the noisy campers at bay, and I get pretty good sleep back here." 

"This looks perfect to me!" Nicole smiled and tossed her duffel bag onto the floor next to her bed. 

"You brought bedsheets right? Because we don't supply those.. bedbugs and all..." Waverly swayed her hands backwards and forwards, a habit that she'd picked up as a kid when conversations felt uncomfortable. She wasn't sure why she felt so uncomfortable, but she had a strange feeling that it had something to do with the perfect dimple on Nicole's cheek. The perfect dimple that she wanted to reach out and touch. 

"I got bedsheets," Nicole said, giving her duffle back a soft kick with her boot. 

"Right..." All of a sudden Waverly felt like the bedroom was too small. She felt too close to the girl next to her. She couldn't decipher what she wanted to do. She wanted to run and stay at the same time. She wanted to reach out and touch Nicole, but she also wanted to stand as far away from her as possible. She wanted to talk to her, but no words were coming to mind. No real words. She picked the first three that came to mind and hoped for the best. "To the lake?"

"Lead the way," Nicole smiled, shutting her bedroom door behind her and heading back through the bathroom and cabin to the porch. 

Waverly showed Nicole the lake and the boathouse. They had a dozen canoes and a half dozen kayaks. There were also three semi-functional paddle boats that had definitely seen better days. The pair walked from the lake to the outdoor rock wall and to the trail heads that lead to the top of Werner's Peak. Waverly lead Nicole back towards the cabins and showed her the mess hall and the arts and crafts pavilion. 

"We each take turns serving meals. You'll have a week of serving breakfast, a week of serving lunch, a week of serving dinner, and then a week off."

Nicole nodded, a crease forming between her eyebrows. Waverly bet that if Nicole had been given the opportunity she would have been taking notes on a piece of paper, just like she had done at age 16 when Gus gave her counselor instructions. At the last tour stop, Waverly introduced her to the twelve horses they had in the barn before showing Nicole the way back to her cabin and suggesting that she make herself at home and come back to the house for dinner at 7:00. The two went their separate ways, each taking turns looking back at one another before the trees obscured their views. 

\--------

"So does she suck or not?" Wynonna asked from the living room couch.

"Aren't you supposed to be cleaning toilets?" 

"Gus and I did that half an hour ago. She's organizing the mess hall freezer." 

Waverly flopped onto the other side of the couch, placing her feet against Wynonna's legs. 

"She doesn't suck," Waverly mumbled.

"Who?"

"Nicole."

"Haught Shot?"

"Yeah," Waverly sighed. 

"Well good. She sure beats Champ the Chump. I can't believe Gus let him come here for two summers," Wynonna stretched her feet into Waverly's lap. 

"Yeah he sucked," Waverly agreed, pushing her hair over her shoulder and over the arm of the couch. She would never admit to Wynonna that Champ had been her first kiss. She would never tell her sister that she had been naive enough to think that Champ wanted to kiss her because he thought she was interesting and smart. She'd thought that he wanted to be with her, to talk to her. It turned out to be her midriff that drew his attention more than anything, and when she decided that she didn't want to 'show him what was under her crop top,' Champ lost interest. 

Waverly and Curtis fixed a salad and burgers for their last family dinner in the main house. The rest of the summer would be spent telling the campers not to throw food in the mess hall. Nicole stopped by just in time to grab the seat next to Wynonna and load her burger with toppings. Waverly sat across from the two of them, again wondering why she felt so transfixed with Nicole's presence. She boiled it down to a respect for good looking people. Waverly never really thought about sexuality. Other than some light experimenting during her sophomore year of college, she'd only ever dated boys, and when she found a woman attractive, she simply thought that she admired their looks or their style. Nicole was cool, and from what Waverly could gather, she seemed down to Earth. 

"You sure you don't want to sleep up at the house with us tonight? The couch isn't that comfortable, but you'll be all alone in the cabins," Gus offered to Nicole. 

"I'll be just fine. I'm not too afraid of the quiet. Plus, from what Waverly told me, it sounds like I need to enjoy the next couple of quiet nights I have before the campers get here."

Curtis gave Nicole a flashlight to take down to her cabin, and they all said their goodnights before heading to bed. 

\--------

"Waverly Earp!" 

Waverly groaned and rolled over, covering her face with her hands. 

"Time to get up!" 

"Go away, Chrissy," Waverly mumbled into her pillow. 

Chrissy threw herself down onto the other side of Waverly's bed, gingerly moving Waverly's hands and hair out of the way. 

"Oh there's my best friend's face."

"Hi, Chrissy," Waverly sighed, leaning forward to sit up in bed. "When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago. Gus said I could come upstairs and wake you up." Chrissy sat up and crossed her legs, smiling. 

It was friends like Chrissy who made the exhaustion worth it. Waverly would work this hard year round if it meant having friends like Chrissy around her. She swung her feet out of bed and pulled out a pair of jeans and another Pinecrest crop top. She walked to the bathroom to change and get ready for the day, feeling pulled down the stairs by the smell of Curtis' blueberry pancakes. 

\------

"So you're from Oregon?" Chrissy asked, reaching across Waverly for another pancake.

"Yeah, but my Dad lives in Atlanta, so I visit him sometimes during holidays," Nicole responded. 

Waverly couldn't help but notice that Nicole seemed amused by Chrissy's energy level and excitement. Since walking through the door, Chrissy had hardly stopped talking. 

"Wynonna, you visited the West Coast for a little bit, didn't you?"

"Uhhh..." Wynonna stopped eating, a piece of pancake dangling from her lips. "If you want to call testifying against a drug lord 'visiting' the West Coast sure." Wynonna shoved the rest of her pancake into her mouth, seemingly unfazed by Nicole's look of surprise. 

"Sorry," Chrissy mumbled, choosing that moment to stop talking and take another sip of orange juice. 

"Waverly, Gus said you're in school still?"

"Yeah. I'm studying linguistics. It's my senior year next year, and I'm kind of dreading it. I'm afraid I don't want it to be over just yet." 

"I wish I'd felt that way about my senior year," Nicole laughed, taking her last sip of coffee. 

The four of them washed their dishes, Wynonna mostly supervising. By the time they'd finished, it was afternoon, and Waverly and Wynonna went up to their rooms to pack a bag and move down to their cabins. Nicole spent the afternoon wandering the campgrounds and jogging along the gravel driveway that led to the main road. She was running back along the driveway toward the cabins when a small, bubblegum pink car pulled up beside her. 

"You must be Champ's replacement."

Nicole stopped running and looked at the mustached man in the car. A woman with a slicked back ponytail and an extremely cropped crop top sat next to him. 

"Nicole Haught," she stuck out her hand to shake his. 

"Doc, and this is Rosita. She's new around here too."

"It's good to meet you both," Nicole said, her breath coming out quickly due to having been running. 

"You want a ride the rest of the way?" Rosita asked. 

"I'm okay, but thanks for the offer."

"Suit yourself," Doc nodded, tipping his cowboy hat and slowly accelerating down the driveway, leaving a cloud of dust in his path. 

Waverly, Wynonna, and Chrissy made their beds. Wynonna claimed the Pinecone Cabin and Chrissy set up camp in the Dogwood Cabin. Doc threw his bags in the Big River Cabin, and as soon as Rosita found out that there had been a bloody mattress in the Orchard Cabin, she moved her things to the Creek Bed Cabin, claiming that the counselor who arrived last could take that one.

"That redhead's a fast runner," Rosita commented once the five of them were sitting around an outdoor picnic table. 

"Haught Stuff is awesome," Wynonna commented, looking up from the Sharpie she was using to color her fingernails. 

"Hot?" Rosita asked, looking to Waverly for verification.

"Nicole Haught. H-A-U-G-H-T," she spelled it out. 

"That's me," Nicole commented from behind the group, "And I found the last counselor."

"Xavier Dolls," the new guy said, nodding his head at the others. 

"I can give him a tour," Wynonna offered, practically tripping out of her chair to lead the way to the Orchard Cabin. Waverly could have sworn that she heard Wynonna mention something about a massacre that ruined all of the Orchard Cabin's mattresses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!


	3. The Kids Are All Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole could hear Wynonna's scream coming from within a group of ten year olds. Waverly had delegated jobs to all of the counselors, and she and Wynonna were in charge of room assignments. Waverly was definitely handling the job with more grace than Wynonna. She was walking from cabin to cabin with a megaphone, calling last names of kids and pointing them to the right bunk. Wynonna was holding her clipboard over her face and trying to move past the children to hand her names over to Waverly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's sticking with this story! I'm really enjoying writing something so light and fun! I hope this chapter is just that!

The first night in the cabin was always the hardest for Waverly. The campers wouldn't arrive until the morning, and the cabin was eerily quiet. She hated the quiet. If given the choice, Waverly would sleep with any kind of noise in the background, whether that be music or a movie or a white noise machine. Even as a kid, she hated when things were too quiet. Her first night at Gus' and Curtis' house had been too quiet. As welcoming as they had been, they'd walked around Waverly like they were walking on eggshells, like she would lose it at any moment just like her big sister. 

Waverly was lying awake in her twin sized bed. She'd brought several fuzzy blankets down the hill to the cabin, since she knew she'd get cold at night. She and the other counselors had shared a meal around the main camp fire near the cabins and stayed up talking into the night, only calling it quits when Waverly and Chrissy had suggested getting a good night's sleep, in order to wake up early for the campers' arrival. Waverly had showered in the cabin bathroom and changed into a comfy set of pajamas. She'd counted sheep and changed her Instagram profile picture and painted her toenails, but it still took her hours to actually fall asleep. 

A few doors down, Nicole was working on unpacking her duffel bag and shoving her t-shirts and shorts into the dresser drawers. Unlike Waverly, Nicole was even more comfortable that night than the one before. She liked to think she was brave and tough, but sleeping out in the cabin on her own during her first night here had definitely given her the heebie-jeebies. She felt more comfortable, knowing that Doc was right next door, followed by Rosita, then Dolls, and then Waverly. Waverly Earp. She let her name roll around in her brain. She had definitely been the friendliest face at Camp Pinecrest, and Nicole couldn't deny that Waverly was an extremely beautiful person. Nicole had been in this kind of situation before, though. She'd met all kinds of pretty girls, girls at school and in Girl Scouts. Some were friendlier than others, but they were all straight or just curious, and in the end Nicole always walked away with a broken heart. There was no way on earth that Waverly Earp would ever look at Nicole and think 'Wow, that's an attractive woman. Let's see where this goes.' Nicole shook her head, smiling at the stupid thought. Waverly was different than the other girls Nicole had found beautiful. Waverly was different than any girl Nicole had ever met. She had this lightness about her, this kindness. Jeez Nicole, she thought to herself. She shut off her bedroom light and crawled under the covers. It would be dumb to stay up all night thinking about a straight girl when she knew she'd need to be up in just a few short hours to clean up and prep for the campers' arrival. 

\-------

"Rise and shine!" Nicole woke with a start. She was certain that Chrissy's voice could be heard in neighboring counties. She jerked out of bed and moved the light blue curtain away from her bedroom window. 

Chrissy was standing in the middle of the cabins, banging a gong and making some sort of screeching excuse for a musical wake-up call. Nicole slipped on a clean pair of denim shorts, long hiking socks, her Timberlands, and a white shirt with rainbow stripes. She was making her way to the bathroom with her bar of face soap and her toothbrush when a soft knock came at the front door of the cabin. 

"Chrissy, I heard you," Nicole grumbled upon opening the door. 

"Yeah, she gets a little excited on the first day," Waverly said sheepishly, looking over her shoulder at Chrissy. 

Wynonna had joined Chrissy in the grass and was attempting to rip the gong from her hands. Nicole smiled at the sight. Chrissy was dressed in what Nicole could only describe as "sorority sister white jeans," while Wynonna was clad in only a ratty tank top and a pair of gray boy-shorts. 

"Chrissy, I swear to God," Nicole could just make out between Wynonna's roars of frustration. 

"I just came to make sure you're awake." 

Nicole focused her attention back on Waverly. She was in an adorable pair of denim overalls and a pair of red converse high tops. Her hair was down, with a singular, small braid detailing the left side of her face. 

"There are pancakes in the mess hall, and we have about two hours before camper welcome starts," Waverly said with a smile. 

Nicole caught herself zoning out, distracted by the way Waverly's hair was moving with the breeze or the way Waverly kept spinning the ring on her right index finger. 

"Pancakes, right!" Nicole muttered, wanting to smack herself for sounding incapable of speech in front of Waverly-the-multi-lingual-goddess-Earp. 

Waverly smiled one last smile before heading towards Wynonna, wrapping her arm around her sister's waist, and leading her back towards Wynonna's cabin to get ready for the day. 

Waverly tossed herself onto Wynonna's bed, groaning when she landed on a lonely boot that was hiding under the covers. She tossed it onto the floor for Wynonna to put on. 

"I don't see why the kids can't just welcome themselves! It's not that big of a property, anyway. Can't they show themselves around? Here are the cabins. Keep walking that way until you get wet, then you'll know where the lake is," Wynonna grumbled. 

"At least we get paid," Waverly shrugged, looking at her reflection in the bathroom mirror one last time and smoothing down her long hair. 

"Who could you possibly be trying to look cute for?"

"No one," Waverly defended, feeling a blush start to creep up her neck. 

"Cause you know I called Dolls."

"I know, Wynonna."

"Doc and I already had a thing, and sisters shouldn't hit up the same gas station, if you know what I mean."

"Jesus, Wynonna!"

"I mean, if you really want to hop on the cowboy express, I won't be mad! I just think it's a lot of sharing for us. I mean do we really want to be that close?"

"I don't like Doc!" Waverly said, practically begging her older sister to shut up for once in her life. 

"Wow, I didn't know you thought I had bad taste." Wynonna feigned offense, knowing that she was pushing every single one of Waverly's buttons. 

"I'm not trying to look good for anyone," Waverly sighed. 

"I'm just teasing you, babygirl. Let's get some breakfast." Wynonna wrapped an arm around Waverly's shoulders and the two walked out of the Pinecone Cabin. 

\-------

Nicole could hear Wynonna's scream coming from within a group of ten year olds. Waverly had delegated jobs to all of the counselors, and she and Wynonna were in charge of room assignments. Waverly was definitely handling the job with more grace than Wynonna. She was walking from cabin to cabin with a megaphone, calling last names of kids and pointing them to the right bunk. Wynonna was holding her clipboard over her face and trying to move past the children to hand her names over to Waverly. 

"Let the fun begin!" Doc called to Nicole from the drop-off location. 

She nodded back at him, picking up the duffel bags and backpacks that he had tossed off the back of the bus towards a patch of grass. Nicole carried three duffels and two backpacks towards the center of the cabins, past Wynonna. She looked at her phone to read her own list of kids' names and took the bags to the right cabin porch. Nicole wasn't a stranger to hard work. She liked manual labor and thought that it was something that made her character even stronger. Still, she had to admit that carrying duffel bags half a mile down a sloping hill and sorting them, only to climb back up the trail and do it again was making her sweat more than she'd like. 

"Trust me, this is the worst day. Everything after this will be a breeze," Chrissy promised, patting Nicole on the back and reaching through the gaggle of ten year olds to take Wynonna's clipboard out of her hands and take over for her. 

Dolls and Rosita were talking to parents who were dropping their children off at the camp, assuring them that the kids would be in good hands. 

"Haught Damn, I hate this," Wynonna huffed, leaning an arm against Nicole's shoulder. 

"Wanna grab a bag?" Nicole asked, swinging another duffel bag over her shoulder. 

"No, I'm good."

"Wynonna."

"Okay okay," Wynonna relented after looking at Nicole's weary face. "You're sounding more like Waverly today." Wynonna grabbed a backpack and a duffel bag and headed down the trail. 

"What do you mean?"

"Waverly's always trying to keep me on the straight and narrow," Wynonna sighed. "She's good for me, I guess."

"I'm sure she's just trying to be a good sister."

"Waves is the best," Wynonna said, a serious look in her eyes. She dropped the bags at the foot of the first cabin's stairs. "Is that all we have?" She asked when Doc walked past them with two more duffels. 

"Yep. The bus is already heading down the road," Doc said, sliding the bags off his shoulders and lying prone in the grass. 

"Great idea," Wynonna muttered before joining him on the ground. 

"All right, guys, we need to go introduce ourselves to the campers, starting with our own cabins. You all got my email about the ice breakers?" Waverly asked. 

"I got it, Waves, but I was thinking Never Have I Ever would be more fun," Wynonna said, a yawn ripping its way across her face. 

"Never have I ever wet the bed," Doc sighed from his spot in the grass. 

"Doubtful," Wynonna retorted, kicking Doc's boot with her own. 

"If you play the age appropriate ice breakers I sent and avoid making the kids cry on day one, I promise that the counselors will play Never Have I Ever one night this week," Waverly said. There was a note of desperation in her voice, one that fell away as soon as Wynonna stood up and gave her a thumbs up. 

The counselors scattered, heading to their respective cabins and introducing themselves to the kids. Waverly and Dolls had memorized all the campers' names before they even arrived at Camp Pinecrest. Nicole, Chrissy, and Rosita played games to learn names, and Doc and Wynonna assumed that if they called Stacey, Sarah and Josh, Jared, it wouldn't be the end of the world. 

\-------

It was sloppy joe night in the mess hall, and Waverly was feeling more and more grateful that she had taken care of the bloody mattress in exchange for Wynonna's mess hall labor. She lifted her glass of sweet tea towards her sister, who stood next to Rosita with a scowl on her face, doling out steaming piles of sloppy joe meat onto open buns. Waverly put the remaining half of a veggie burger back on her plate and poked her fork, for the fifth time, into a stubborn piece of lettuce that clearly didn't want to be eaten. 

"Wouldn't be camp without sloppy joes!" Nicole grinned, placing her tray across from Waverly's. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Waverly said, motioning with her hands for Nicole to join her. She gave up on stabbing the piece of lettuce and instead placed her fork on her plate and looked at the redhead across from her. 

Nicole was carefully picking up the sloppy joe, clearly trying, with no success, to eat it without making a mess. Waverly smiled softly when half of Nicole's sandwich landed on her tray. 

"Really attractive, I know," Nicole mumbled, trying to wipe her face with a napkin before Waverly could see the stains the sandwich had left. 

"Trust me, I've had my fair share of sloppy joe related accidents. You have no idea how many white shirts I've had to throw away," Waverly laughed softly. 

"Maybe I'll stick to using a fork," Nicole shrugged, taking the bun off her sandwich and using a utensil instead of her hands. 

"Did you have a good day?" Waverly asked. 

"I did, actually. I've worked in nature a lot but not with children, so that's new for me. They're really funny actually, and I think my cabin wants to come up with a mascot for the summer."

"The campers are really cute. This year should be a really good year. Last year's campers were a bit unruly, so the karmic universe should give us a break this summer." 

Nicole smiled at Waverly, in awe of how fondly she spoke about the camp and the campers. Even when mentioning a group of unruly campers, Waverly's voice remained soft, almost reverent. 

"You really love it here, don't you?" Nicole asked, knowing the answer before Waverly even responded.

"It's my home," Waverly said, blushing slightly at the admission. "Of course I love it here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope everyone has a wonderful week!


	4. Glue and Guns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole tells Waverly about a troll she encountered as a kid.  
> Waverly teaches Nicole how to shoot a gun.  
> Camp PInecrest's official first day starts with paper mache and the shooting range.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another Wednesday post! I hope you all enjoy! 
> 
> Special thanks to my very very sweet girlfriend for reading everything before I post and telling me it doesn't suck :)

Waverly was struggling to understand why Gus had decided that making paper mache sculptures was a good idea for the campers' arts and crafts project. Her campers ranged from ages eight to thirteen, and she was having trouble convincing the younger kids to keep their hands to themselves. After the third child-sized handprint was left on Waverly's wrist, she resigned herself to getting messy and let the kids run amuck. There was only so much she could control, and she figured her entire cabin could clean up after arts and crafts and before heading to the shooting range. She looked around the pavilion at the three other cabin groups. Chrissy's group was sprinkling glitter on everything, even slathering Elmer's glue on the newspaper covered tables and covering it with glitter, macaroni noodles, and sequins. Chrissy seemed stressed, trying to hold onto as many little hands as possible. Wynonna was in the center of her group of kids, her left arm resting on the table and her right arm in the air, holding her phone in front of her face. Her campers were glueing newspaper onto Wynonna's forearm, and Waverly couldn't decide if Wynonna hadn't noticed or just didn't care. Nicole was sitting with her group and making her own paper mache lady bug. She was talking aloud, and it looked like all of the kids were enamored with whatever she was saying. They all kept glancing up at her, waiting for the next words to come out of her mouth. Waverly's brow furrowed. She had absolutely no idea what Nicole could be saying to the group of campers to get them to actually build and decorate paper mache sculptures. A sticky hand landed against Waverly's cheek and broke her concentration. 

"I'm sorry, Waverly." Riley, the youngest camper in Waverly's cabin had an apologetic look on her face. She slowly peeled her fingers off of Waverly's cheek. 

"It's okay." Waverly gave her a forgiving smile before reaching for the handkerchief she kept in her pocket and turning back to Nicole's group. Nicole had looked up from her ladybug sculpture and had her eyes trained on Waverly. Nicole smiled in her direction, moving her hand over her own cheek and giving Waverly a thumbs up. Waverly laughed softly, running her handkerchief over her cheek to no avail. The glue was basically already dried to her cheek. She looked back at Nicole, noticing how her dimple seemed to appear just when Waverly met eyes with her. 

"You monsters!" Wynonna roared from her table, sending all of her campers running away in a fit of giggles.Wynonna ran after them, her bare feet sliding in the wet grass. 

"I think that's enought arts and crafts for one day," Waverly announced. 

"I'll get the kids' art put up," Chrissy offered. 

"Waverly and I can get the tables," Nicole added, shooting a grin towards Waverly. 

Chrissy started to gather the kids' art, letting the campers run around in the grassy area next to the pavilion before the next activity. 

"You got a little glue on you, didn't you?" Nicole laughed. She reached her hand out and touched Waverly's cheek. 

"Yeah. It was an accident, but I'm not sure all of these were," she said, lifting her glue covered forearm for Nicole to see. 

Nicole laughed, silently kicking herself for reaching out to touch Waverly's cheek. She didn't want to be weird or make Waverly uncomfortable. She'd only just met the girl. It had been an impulse, and she should have kept it in check. She peeked at Waverly in her peripheral vision. If she wasn't mistaken, Nicole could just make out a slight blush on the cheek she'd just touched. Of course, it was hot, and Nicole hypothesized that her touch had done nothing to Waverly. Instead, it was simply the warm weather that made her skin look rosier than normal. 

Waverly, on the other hand, was having a difficult time keeping her heart steady. She didn't mean to feel any sort of reaction to Nicole's fingers brushing across her face. There was absolutely nothing romantic about that. When Nicole had touched her, Waverly had felt her stomach do somersaults and her nerve endings electrify. It didn't make any sense. Nicole was simply pointing out glue on her face, and Waverly's heart decided to go into some sort of cardiac arrest, causing her to warm up all over and lose the ability to breathe like a normal human. She decided that as soon as she finished cleaning up, she would Web MD her symptoms and find out what was really going on. 

"Your campers seemed pretty interested in whatever you were telling them," Waverly offered, hoping that the conversation would distract her from the freakout she was having internally. 

"I was telling them about the Purple Glorderpuff," she responded matter of factly. 

"Excuse me?"

Nicole laughed at Waverly's confusion. 

"It's a story my dad used to tell me when I was a little kid."

Waverly nodded, hoping that Nicole would take her silence as a request to elaborate.

"The Purple Glorderpuff is a little creature that's only two feet tall, sort of like a gnome or a troll or something. Glorderpuffs are notoriously mischievous, and Purple Glorderpuffs are even more so."

"So the Green Glorderpuffs are super responsible?" Waverly teased. 

"Something like that," Nicole nodded, a serious expression on her face. "The Purple ones are the most mischievous, and they're known to steal children's shoes in the middle of the night and hide them in forests just like these," Nicole motioned to the woods surrounding the pavilion. 

"Just shoes?" Waverly asked, laughing softly, causing Nicole to grin slightly. 

"Well, I'm sure they steal more than shoes, but the Purple Glorderpuffs I encountered as a kid only stole my shoes. I've heard of them stealing all kinds of stuff though, like bikes and clothes. The campers didn't seem to believe me when I told them that I once saw a Purple Glorderpuff carrying my neighbor's dog down the street, but I promised that my neighbor never saw her dog again."

"What kind of story is that?" Waverly asked, letting out an exasperated sigh. "What kind of story ends with a dog dying?!"

"I didn't say the dog died!" Nicole responded, lifting her arms up in surrender. "I just said it disappeared. I'm pretty sure I saw it again on the same Purple Glorderpuff's leash."

"You're full of it," Waverly huffed, letting out another laugh. 

"My dad was full of it. You know he only told me that story to blame someone else for the disappearance of my favorite sneakers? In reality, my dad and mom threw them out because I'd worn holes into the bottom of them."

Waverly laughed again, throwing the rest of the newspaper trash into the garbage bag. 

"That's cute," she said, grinning at Nicole and noticing the redhead's dimple again. 

"Tell that to eight year old Nicole. She was devastated! She loved those shoes!" 

Waverly reached for Nicole's hand and squeezed it softly, attempting to show her an apologetic smile but laughing anyway. Nicole looked down at Waverly's hand and laughed too. She could feel her cheeks warming up at the touch, the touch that seemed to be lasting much longer than one normally would, since neither girl pulled her hand away. 

"I need a gun in my hands now!" Wynonna yelled, walking toward the pair with three campers holding onto her legs. 

Nicole pulled her hand out from under Waverly's and carried the trash bag towards the bear-proof trashcan next to the pavilion. 

\------

The shooting range was one of Waverly's favorite parts of camp. It wasn't fancy. It was outdoors, surrounded by a fortress of dirt. Basically, Curtis had used a bulldozer to move mounds of dirt and mud to form a wall around the range. He'd built it so long ago that now the mud walls had grass and wildflowers growing all along them. When Wynonna and Waverly were little, Curtis would take them to the range and teach them how to load, unload, and shoot guns. They would stand on the shooting deck and aim at targets until the paper had too many holes in it and floated to the ground. Both of the girls developed a respect for guns. Not only were they good shots, but they knew the damage that guns could cause. Losing a father to a gunshot wound would do that to any kid. When the two girls would find themselves at home after school as younger kids, they would beg Gus and Curtis to let them practice their aim. And, in exchange for cleaning the gun range, feeding the horses, and mowing the entire property, the girls were allowed to enjoy all the activities camp had to offer during the entire year. Waverly could remember coming out to the range in the dead of winter and shooting rifles with Wynonna and Curtis. It took her a long time to develop enough strength to load the gun by herself, but Curtis had always been there to help her. 

Curtis' main job at the camp, besides taking care of the horses and the property, was to keep a watchful eye over the campers at the shooting range. He stood in the middle of the range, explaining to all the campers how to safely shoot a gun. Of course, almost all the campers were so antsy to get a hold of the rifle that they hardly listened. Each camper and counselor sat in their own lane with a single rifle that the group would share. Waverly held onto her group's gun, shaking her head no as several of the kids asked to hold it while Curtis spoke. Wynonna sat at the edge of her lane, resting her rifle across her knees and dangling her legs off of the deck. Nicole seemed extremely focused on listening to Curtis, shushing a few of her campers who wanted to talk through the instructions. 

"I'll repeat it again. We never aim the gun anywhere but at the paper target. Do not aim the gun at another camper or a counselor. If a counselor says that the shooting stops, immediately stop shooting. Wear your protective glasses," Curtis said, putting on a pair of his own. "You'll each take turns with the rifles, and while you wait for your turn, Chrissy can show you how to shoot the bow and arrow at the archery range next door," Curtis suggested, finishing his lecture. 

Gus and Curtis had added the archery range when they noticed that kids became harder to deal with when they were bored and waiting for a turn at the shooting range. Chrissy took half of everyone's campers to the archery range next to the shooting range, explaining that the same rules applied about not pointing the arrow at anyone.

"Waverly, do you want to be an example?" Curtis, asked, pointing towards Waverly's rifle before stepping onto the deck and out of the way. 

Waverly grinned and nodded before picking the rifle up and placing it against her shoulder. She looked through the sight and aimed at the middle of the target. 

"Are you out of practice?" Wynonna scoffed. 

Waverly looked over and glared before focusing on the target again. 

"You're just really slow today, sis."

Waverly pulled the trigger and hit the middle of the target perfectly. 

"What's that?" she asked, smirking at Wynonna, completely oblivious to Nicole's look of wonder from two lanes down. 

Nicole had never shot a gun before. Well, she'd shot a Red Ryder BB Gun at her cousin's house once, but she didn't think that really counted. Her parents did not believe in guns and would probably have grounded Nicole if they'd found out about the BB gun. Nicole had never really seen anyone shoot a gun, except on TV, and had to admit there was something sexy about the way Waverly shot with perfect accuracy. She was cocky and competitive, and Nicole could feel a warmth in her stomach when she thought about the shorter girl with the amazing aim. Wynonna shot too, not wanting to be one-upped by her sister, but Nicole opted to let one of her campers go before her. She didn't feel like humbling herself by failing to hit a target right after both of the Earp sisters hit the target perfectly. 

Curtis walked around to each lane, making sure that the campers were shooting with proper form and aiming with the sight. The campers were allowed to lay down on the deck to aim steadily. Waverly and Wynonna were better at instructing the campers, but Nicole could hardly instruct them, other than making sure they didn't shoot one another. The second half of the kids watched Waverly and Wynonna shoot again, staring in awe as the girls hit their targets. 

"You want to shoot, Nicole?" Curtis offered, handing her a rifle. 

All of the campers watched her, waiting for another amazing example, but she shook her head. 

"I think the kids are ready to try it themselves." She hoped that her response only seemed genuinely kind to the campers and didn't reveal just how uncomfortable she was about shooting poorly in front of everyone, especially Waverly. The kids all took turns again, listening to Curtis and the Earps' expertise. Nicole shuffled her feet, feeling, perhaps for the first time in her life, truly unnecessary. 

"You okay?" Waverly asked, after helping one of Nicole's campers reload the gun. 

"Yeah," Nicole answered, giving Waverly as wide a smile as she could. 

"You haven't shot yet,"

"Yeah... I'm not really a great shot," Nicole confessed. She hoped that the younger Earp wouldn't laugh at her, knowing fully well that Wynonna would. 

"Oh, well we can work on that!" Waverly sounded excited, and Nicole couldn't help but smile at her. "The kids are going to lunch in a second anyway, and I have to clean up here, so maybe you can try your hand at it when everyone else has cleared out," Waverly suggested, her eyes drifting to her older sister, probably noting that Wynonna would laugh the most at Nicole's lack of skill. 

The bell rang from the pavilion, calling all the campers to the mess hall. 

"All right, that's it for today!" Curtis called. "Make sure to wash your hands before lunch, and we'll see you after for some horseback riding!" 

"Follow me!" Chrissy called, her arms full of discarded hats, bug spray, and sunscreen. 

Wynonna placed her rifle on the bench and led her group, Waverly's, and Nicole's toward Chrissy's group and the mess hall. 

Waverly stood next to Nicole still, leaning against the 2x4 railing that separated the lanes. Despite Nicole's attempts, she was staring, looking at the brunette's smooth jaw line and soft smile. There was a slight breeze that made the heat somewhat bearable, and it was gently moving the lone strands of hair that had slipped out of Waverly's fishtail braid. 

"So, you wanna try?" Waverly asked, breaking Nicole out of her reverie. 

Nicole blushed slightly, either from being caught staring or from the nerves that she felt upon realizing that she was about to embarrass herself in front of Waverly. 

"Okay, but this is gonna be bad," Nicole promised. 

"Uncle Curtis, I'm just gonna show Nicole how to do this really quick. We'll clean up and lock the guns away!"

Curtis nodded at his niece, squeezing her shoulder as he walked towards the shed to lock up the other guns and the bows and arrows. 

Waverly moved to get onto her stomach on the deck and motioned for Nicole to follow. 

"Okay, so obviously you heard all of Curtis' instructions twice, so I don't really need to go through that again... Unless you want."

"I think I got it. I just don't think I really needed to embarrass myself in front of all the campers on day one," Nicole grimaced. 

"No problem." 

Nicole braced the butt of the gun against her shoulder and squinted one eye closed. She took a deep breath and then pulled the trigger. 

"Well, that's all right! It's your first time," Waverly encouraged.

"I didn't hit anything," Nicole said, raising an eyebrow at Waverly's positivity. 

"When I was first learning, it took me weeks to even hit the target."

"How old were you?"

"...six." Waverly mumbled. 

Nicole huffed before facing the target again. 

"Here," Waverly said before sitting up and reaching her arms toward Nicole. "May I?"

"By all means." 

Waverly rested her hand on Nicole's right arm, moving her shoulder and elbow down. She tried to ignore the butterflies that erupted in her stomach when she touched the redhead, but regardless of how many deep breaths she took, the butterflies kept dancing in her chest, sending heat up to her cheeks. 

"Make sure you look through the sight here," Waverly said, pointing at the sight. 

"Okay," Nicole mumbled, also trying to ignore the warmth that Waverly's hands left on her arm. 

"Ready?" Waverly asked, her hand still resting softly on Nicole's arm. 

Nicole pulled the trigger, and the bullet hit the edge of the target. 

"See! That's already better!" Waverly said, rubbing her hand along the top of Nicole's back before quickly removing it. She shook her head, admonishing herself for being too forward or weird. 

Nicole took a deep breath and tried again, this time hitting the target, just a few inches off center. After a few more tries, Nicole hit the center of the target and immediately looked up at Waverly with a look of surprise. The brunette sat, criss-cross applesauce, on the deck and smiled down at Nicole. She loved the look of wonder on Nicole's face, remembering how she felt as a little kid when she'd finally hit the target. 

Waverly's cellphone vibrated, interrupting her memory, and she looked down to see a text from Gus.

Gus: "Where are you? You're too small to be missing lunch. It's in the kitchen waiting for you and Nicole."

"Looks like we have to get back," Waverly said, turning her phone around to show Nicole. 

Nicole swept the shell casings off of the deck, while Waverly locked the remaining two rifles in the shed, and the two walked side by side back toward the mess hall. Waverly moved towards Nicole, hitting her softly with her shoulder. 

"They didn't teach you that in Girl Scouts, huh?" Waverly asked, her nose crinkling when she broke into a wide smile. 

"No, they didn't. Thank you," Nicole responded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm not super super knowledgeable about shooting ranges, sooooo I hope some of it made sense. I hope everyone has a lovely rest of the week! Stay safe and healthy :)


	5. Canoes and Canoodling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly's attacked by the green monster, while campers and counselors alike spend the day on the lake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is a little later than usual, but I hope everyone has had a lovely week! As usual, thank you to my beautiful girlfriend who reads over everything.

"You know, I lost my virginity in a canoe," Wynonna said way too loudly, elbowing Dolls in the side. 

"Wynonna!" Waverly hissed, trying to ignore her sister and set a good example for the campers by paying attention to Gus' instructions. 

Dolls grinned at Wynonna, clearly taken with her brassiness. It was his reaction that egged Wynonna on. 

"It was with Philip Porter. He was a camper here when Waves and I were campers too. We were fourteen, and let me say a canoe provides very little surface area, even for missionary position."

"Oh my god," Waverly groaned, lowering her head in her hands. 

"I got sunburned in places that the sun had never seen before, and that sunburn lasted quite a while, didn't it Waves?" Wynonna pestered her baby sister, noticing how Waverly's neck was getting redder and redder, either from embarrassment or frustration. 

Waverly stood at the back of the campers with Wynonna and Dolls. The campers were sitting on their life vests, watching Gus explain proper canoe and water safety. Nicole and Chrissy were chatting intently with one another on one side of the campers, and Doc and Rosita were helping Curtis with oars and boats on the dock. Waverly stared across the group of campers, moving her eyes between Gus and Nicole. She wanted to pay attention to Gus, but she seemed to be having trouble focusing, since the redhead walked into camp. Every second she spent with Nicole sent her spiraling into some sort of butterfly driven daze, and she couldn't figure out how to control whatever hormones were making her go gaga for the other counselor. 

She'd Web MDed her symptoms at night in her tiny cabin room, but she ruled out a stroke, seizures, and a brain tumor and finally decided to face facts that she was simply attracted to Nicole. It wasn't like Nicole was the first girl that Waverly had been attracted to. In fact, Waverly can remember the first girl who had caught her eye. Madeline Mansfield was her crush in first grade, and she had sworn, at the age of six, that she would marry Madeline someday. Of course, Madeline kissed Duncan Knowles during recess, and by the time Waverly had gotten over that hurt, there was another girl or another boy to fantasize about. She hadn't dated much, but so far, college had been an eye opening experience for her. She'd met people and spent time with them; however, the only thing that ever really came of Waverly's college dates or hookups was a stronger sense of the kind of person Waverly absolutely didn't want to end up really dating. 

"So, please put your lifejackets on and get into groups of five," Gus called over the increasingly excited campers' chatter. 

Waverly helped a few campers tighten or loosen their vests, inadvertently making her way toward Nicole. Nicole smiled at Waverly, offering a small wave when they were near each other but still busy with campers. 

"The counselors usually take canoes out. Two counselors per boat. Want to be my buddy?" Waverly asked, already feeling a blush run across her cheeks. She shook her head, realizing how stupid her question had probably sounded to Nicole. 

"Chrissy actually just asked me to take a canoe out with her. I'm sorry, Waverly," Nicole answered, her smile faltering just slightly. 

"No worries," Waverly shook her head, putting on a perfect smile. "I'll go ask Rosita or someone else."

Waverly walked off in the direction of Rosita and Doc, hoping that someone would be partnerless. No such luck. Wynonna and Dolls were attached at the hip already, and Rosita and Doc were tightening their life vests. Instead of interrupting Doc and Rosita, Waverly detoured and made her way toward the end of the dock. 

"Hey, Gus," Waverly smiled. "Looks like I'm with you."

She climbed up onto the lifeguard deck where Gus was already sitting. Gus pulled a bottle of sweet tea out of the cooler and handed it to her niece. Below, Curtis and Dolls were helping campers settle into their canoes and float out onto the lake. Nicole and Chrissy were already in their boat and making sure that all the campers were floating safely out into the water. Nicole's red hair was even redder and brighter in the sunlight, and Waverly was having a hard time focusing on anyone other than her. She lifted her drink to her mouth, hoping the cold tea would knock her out of the daze. 

"I hate canoe day," Gus mumbled next to Waverly.

"The kids sure do love it, though," Waverly said, hoping her positivity would put Gus in a better mood. 

"You know why we have to sit up here now?" Gus asked, looking at Waverly. "Because your sister decided to pop her cherry in a canoe, and now I have to worry about everyone else's kid getting that same idea."

"I- I just thought you wanted to make sure no one drowns," Waverly mumbled softly, not wanting to have this conversation with her guardian. 

"Your sister taught me otherwise."

Waverly watched as Doc and Rosita and Wynonna and Dolls loaded into their canoes and headed into the water. Curtis climbed up to the deck to grab a drink from the cooler too, taking a seat next to his wife. He might as well have danced in tap shoes in front of Waverly, though, because she hardly noticed his arrival. She felt a burning sickness in her stomach when she watched Chrissy throw her head back and laugh at whatever Nicole was saying. Nicole was laughing too, a little more softly, but still, she was laughing. It wasn't until Chrissy reached out and put her hand on Nicole's arm that the burning started getting worse in Waverly's stomach, actually traveling up to her chest and throat. She swallowed hard, hoping the cold tea would help. She knew better, though. She knew why she felt sick. It was the same kind of burning that Waverly had felt when she was six and saw Madeline kissing Duncan. She was not a fan of jealousy, believing that it did way too much harm, but that didn't mean that she wasn't a stranger to jealousy. The logical part of Waverly tried to explain away the touch. Chrissy was a touchy person. She'd kissed Waverly on the cheek on multiple occasions, and the two had spent countless nights at each other's houses. She also knew that Chrissy was straight. Straight as they come, in fact. She had recently broken up with her longterm boyfriend, Perry but was definitely not over him. However, logic didn't always win, and the other part of Waverly's brain kept trying to convince her that Chrissy was now playing for the other team or that Nicole was into blondes, not brunettes. 

"You okay, pumpkin head?" Curtis asked, his eyes squinting in concern. 

"I'm fine," Waverly nodded, feeling the flames in her stomach settle with the distraction. 

"You look a little rosy cheeked."

"It's hot out here, but I'm okay," Waverly assured him. 

\-------

Nicole was enjoying getting to know Chrissy. She had been apprehensive about becoming a counselor, mainly because she knew that it could be hard to get along with all the counselors and campers. She had been pleasantly surprised by how nice everyone had been, especially Waverly. She hadn't wanted to offend Chrissy, but turning down Waverly was the last thing Nicole had wanted to do. She wouldn't lie to herself and pretend that she wasn't attracted to the younger Earp sister. She was extremely beautiful and cute, and she was kind and funny and smart, at least, from what Nicole knew from their few days together. Nicole couldn't help but gaze up towards the lifeguard deck where the brunette was sitting. The sun was kind of bright, so it wasn't easy to see all of the details on Waverly's face, but she could see her long brown hair and her bright teeth whenever she smiled. 

"So, you're telling me that you broke up with someone over email?" Chrissy interrupted her thought. 

"It was a low moment,"Nicole sighed. "We were definitely not well matched."

"Poor girl," Chrissy shrugged. 

"Why do you assume she was a girl?" Nicole asked. 

"Oh, please! You've been wearing some form of rainbow for the past four days." Chrissy threw her head back and laughed. 

Nicole chuckled too, not finding it quite as funny as Chrissy, but she knew that she could sometimes be excessive with her rainbow detailing, especially when she was in a group of people who didn't yet know about her preference. 

"Don't worry. No one here will think it's odd. I'm pretty sure Rosita had a fling with a girl once, and Wynonna's definitely not picky."

"What about Waverly?" Nicole asked, immediately wishing her question hadn't slipped out. 

"Waverly?" Chrissy repeated, first looking somewhat confused before smiling at Nicole. "So you like Waverly?"

"I didn't say that," Nicole responded, defensively. "You just mentioned all the other girls and not her." She took a large gulp of air before paddling some more and spinning the canoe around. 

"Waverly is a little bit of a mystery. That's not me saying that she's completely uninterested in girls," Chrissy said quickly, trying to calm any worries the redhead might have. "She hasn't dated a lot, at least not that I know of, and she's pretty private when it comes to that, but I wouldn't put it past her. I guess you'd have to ask her yourself," Chrissy finished, smiling and finally joining Nicole and paddling back in the direction of the dock.

\-------

Gus blew a fog horn, calling all the campers and counselors back toward the dock. 

Waverly turned her head back to the lake, trying her damnedest to move her eyes past the redhead. She watched Rosita paddle, her arms tensing with each stroke. Waverly could appreciate that Rosita was fit and pretty, but it didn't give her butterflies, not like Nicole. No one she'd ever met had given her butterflies like Nicole. Doc was falling asleep in the boat, only jerking awake when Rosita kicked his foot every few minutes. Her eyes scanned the campers, noting that some of them seemed to have trouble rowing in a straight line and others were challenging each other to a race to the dock. Her eyes landed on Wynonna and Dolls at the exact same minute as Gus'. 

"What the hell," Gus grumbled, jerking up from her chair and reaching for her binoculars. 

It wasn't difficult for Waverly to see, even without binoculars, that the two were making out in the canoe. Gus stomped down the deck stairs, her finger holding the fog horn's button so that a continuous blast of noise echoed across the lake. Campers and counselors covered their ears, but it took several extremely slow seconds for Wynonna to remove her lips from Dolls' and glare across the body of water at her aunt. 

Waverly walked down to the dock and grabbed hold of Nicole's and Chrissy's boat. She helped the two climb out and put the boat away on the shore. 

"Thanks, Waves," Chrissy smirked, eyeing both the brunette and the redhead before leaving the two to walk back to help the campers. 

"What's up with her?" Waverly asked.

"No idea," Nicole shrugged, hoping her blush wasn't noticeable. 

"You two seemed to be getting along," Waverly offered, hoping to cut through the silence as they walked back to the dock. 

"Chrissy's great! She's really nice. In fact, I was just telling her how nice everyone here has been."

"That's really good," Waverly smiled up at Nicole. 

Nicole bumped her shoulder into Waverly's and smiled. 

"Especially you," she added, making Waverly's skin tingle at the touch and the compliment. 

\-------

"Wynonna!" Gus called when Wynonna and Dolls docked and walked towards the canoe rack. 

"Gus!" Wynonna responded. 

"You're supposed to be setting a good example," she chastised, wrapping her arm around Wynonna's waist and leading her behind the canoes. "You too!" she called when Dolls attempted to wander back to the dock. He followed the two, bracing himself for whatever punishment was about to take place. 

"All right, everyone!" Waverly called out to the campers. "Let's head back to our cabins and get changed for lunch." 

Waverly changed out of her bikini and into a comfier tank top and pair of jean shorts. She slipped into a pair of sandals and made her way out of the cabin and down the porch steps. Nicole walked toward her in a pair of jean shorts and a white t-shirt, of course paired with pride socks and her Timberlands. 

"I'm starving," Nicole said immediately, grinning at Waverly. 

"Me too! And I really want to find my sister," Waverly admitted, looking around as they walked to the mess hall. 

"You think she's in trouble?"

"Well, Wynonna lost her virginity in a canoe when we were campers here, so I doubt it'll be worse than when that happened."

Nicole's mouth fell open in shock. 

"I know," Waverly nodded. She pushed the mess hall door open and looked toward the kitchen. Wynonna was serving trays next to Dolls. Both of them were wearing matching hairnets and scowls. 

"Are you okay?" Waverly asked when she stood in front of Wynonna with her tray. 

"I got kitchen duty for another week," she mumbled back. She scooped a large serving of rice and beans onto Waverly's tray followed by two tortillas and a scoop of vegetables. 

"I'm sorry, Wynonna," Waverly whispered. 

"It was worth it." Wynonna smirked at Dolls, clearly intending to continue what they had started on the lake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Hope everyone is safe and happy :)


	6. Take A Cold Shower, Then Take A Hike

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are heating up at Camp Pinecrest, and it's not just the month of May's humidity. Nicole needs a cold shower, Wynonna needs caffeine, and Waverly needs to stop worrying about Chrissy being the straightest person at camp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! I'm finally back to posting at least once a week, hopefully twice a week! It's been a really rocky end of July and start of August, but I'm excited to get back to this story and these characters :)

"You're beautiful," Nicole whispered, not wanting to be heard. The two girls had hiked along a trail and into a thicker part of the woods, so there was really no need to whisper. Nicole scratched the back of her neck, fumbling with the picnic basket in her hands. 

Waverly blushed and straightened the last corner of the red, patchwork quilt. 

"Thank you," she said back, her voice soft. She took the basket from Nicole's hand and placed it on the blanket, sitting down next to it and beginning to look through its contents. 

Nicole immediately sat down next to the brunette and placed her hand in Waverly's. There was a warmth that Nicole had never felt before, a warmth that overtook all of her thoughts and sent goosebumps down her spine. Her hand tingled, spreading all the way up her arm, past her elbow, through her shoulder, and into her chest, blooming into a radiating warmth. She felt buzzed, like she'd had one too many beers and her body was warming up. Her stomach was twisting and flipping but not uncomfortably, reminding her of her first time rock climbing. She'd eased herself over the side of the cliff, trying to trust her harness and gear. 

"Baby?" Waverly whispered, drawing her attention back to the present moment. 

Nicole's stomach rolled even more at the nickname. She turned her body towards the brunette, so that the two of them were face to face, knees touching. 

"Where'd you go?" Waverly asked, her eyebrow lifting up slightly.

_I want you._

That's what Nicole wanted to say. She wanted to pour her entire heart out to the smaller girl in front of her and ask her to want her back, but Waverly's tongue was wetting her lips slightly, and Nicole was distracted. How was she supposed to talk about her feelings, about what she wanted when Waverly was right in front of her?

Waverly's lips looked soft and warm, and Nicole couldn't help herself but lean forward and catch Waverly's bottom lip between her own. Waverly leaned back onto the quilt, pulling the redhead with her, so that their two bodies were flush against each other. She sighed into Nicole's mouth, sending a wave of electricity through Nicole's body. Nicole's hands ached to touch every inch of the girl beneath her. She couldn't focus on one spot long enough to pick a place to rest them. She moved her hands up and down Waverly's body, tangling them into her hair in one minute and then running them along Waverly's thighs the second minute. 

"I want you," Waverly husked, while Nicole left kisses along her jaw. 

The heat that had been traveling through Nicole's body suddenly settled between her legs, and she was acutely aware of the wetness pooling against her jean shorts. She slipped her hands under Waverly's shirt and pulled it upward, waiting for Waverly to lift her arms, before sliding it over her head completely. 

"You're so beautiful," Nicole whispered again, almost reverently. Her legs were resting on either side of Waverly's hips. She looked down at the tan skin below her, marveling at Waverly's strong stomach and smooth skin. 

Waverly reached forward, hooking one of her hands behind Nicole's neck and pulling her down on top of her again. Nicole obliged, moving so that her body lined up with Waverly's. She began to kiss Waverly's neck again, searching for the spot that made the brunette squirm and gasp. If her hands had wandered earlier, they were entirely independent from the rest of her body now. Her hands danced placketalong Waverly's ribs, skimming over her bra slightly, just to feel Waverly arch into her. 

"Please, Nicole," Waverly begged, taking Nicole's hand in her own and sliding it to the button of her shorts. 

Nicole lifted up, in order to make eye contact with Waverly before unbuttoning her shorts. Waverly's eyes were dark, completely taken over with desire, with what Nicole understood as want. 

Waverly Earp wanted her. 

She slowly unbuttoned the two buttons on Waverly's shorts. A clanging sound reverberated in her head. Nicole wondered if her blood was simply pounding that loudly in her head, if she were really that nervous and excited. She moved back on top of Waverly and kissed her once more, her hand sliding along the waist band of Waverly's light blue underwear. 

"Yes, baby," Waverly whispered. 

The clanging was getting louder and louder, and Nicole tried to shake her head to get rid of it. Her fingers slid along the edge of Waverly's underwear, feeling a similar wetness at the-

"GOOD MORNING, CAMP PINECREST!" Chrissy crowed outside, continuing to bang the gong. 

"Holy shit," Nicole cursed, pulling her bed sheet over her face. She could feel her boxers sticking between her legs, and her chest was heaving, raising and lowering the sheet. She rolled over, sinking her face into her pillow and groaning into it. Of all the dreams she could have had, Nicole had to believe it was the karmic universe paying her back for something that made her have a wet dream about someone she had to work with for the rest of the summer. She knew that she was attracted to Waverly Earp. The minute she'd first seen her, her heart had pounded harder than usual. Her stomach had flipped, and she had fallen for the younger Earp sister. She'd also determined that Waverly was most likely straight and promised herself that she would not let herself crush on a straight girl all summer. 

She'd been there and done that. Her senior year of college had been spent following Miranda Jameson around campus and hoping that she'd magically dump Thomas Herst and realize she liked women. No dice. Miranda had only kissed her on occasion when she and Thomas were on a break or when she was extremely wasted. In the end, Nicole had left college with a broken heart after having seen Thomas get down on one knee and propose at their graduation ceremony. She hadn't spoken to Miranda since, only sending her a silver tea kettle as a wedding gift for the young couple. 

Nicole opened her door and listened for her campers, hoping that all of them had made their way to the mess hall for breakfast. She slipped into the shower and attempted to clear her mind, to forget how Waverly's lips had burned against her own and sent electricity down her arms and into her fingertips. Even the freezing cold shower water wasn't helping, and Nicole hopped out after her body was sufficiently clean and covered in goosebumps. She slipped on a pair of khaki cargo shorts, a white t-shirt, and hiking socks and boots. 

More than anything, it wasn't the fact that she'd had a dream about Waverly that really upset Nicole. She was enthralled with the younger Earp. She wanted to listen to her talk all day and watch her work with the campers. She wanted to know more about her. What did she like? What were her pet peeves? Nicole wanted to know everything, but she was also aware that it wasn't her place to know. She felt guilty. The guilt sat in the bottom of her stomach, gnawing at her and destroying her appetite. She hated that she'd dreamed of Waverly Earp in that way, like she'd defiled Waverly, like she'd touched her without consent. She had no idea how she'd even be able to look at Waverly again without feeling that guilt in her chest. She stepped out of the cabin, her hair still slightly damp. 

It was, of course, her luck that she saw Waverly immediately. She was talking animatedly to Wynonna, who looked half asleep still. She was talking so rapidly that she hardly had time to breathe, her hands moving in front of her face a mile a minute. When she paused to take a breath, her eyes met Nicole's, and she smiled wide, waving emphatically. The guilt in Nicole's chest rose into her throat, squeezing slightly and causing a lump to form there. She waved back slightly, slipping off the porch and jogging ahead before the Earp sisters could reach her. She speed-walked to the mess hall, picking up a tray and sitting down next to Chrissy. 

\-------

"Well that was weird," Waverly mumbled.

"What?" Wynonna asked sleepily, having not seen Nicole at all. 

Waverly shook her head, setting aside any worry she had and continuing on with her story. She was telling Wynonna about all the friendship bracelets she'd been making her campers. Wynonna didn't even half listen to her sister, letting Waverly ramble on while Wynonna's eyes acclimated to the sunshine outside. 

"Are you listening at all?" Waverly asked.

"I'm exhausted, Waves, and Doc is literally killing me."

"Excuse me?" Waverly asked. "I thought you were on the Dolls Express these days."

"I am. Doc's just being a drama queen about it."

"How so?"

"Ever since the canoe incident, Doc's being a baby. He's the one who said we shouldn't be exclusive, so that he could make out with Kate last summer, and now all of a sudden I kiss Dolls, and he wants to be my boyfriend," Wynonna snorted, pushing her hair away from her face. 

"I guess he's jealous," Waverly shrugged. 

"He's totally jealous. I just don't understand why he couldn't have told me that he wanted to be exclusive months ago."

"You never know what you have until it's gone," Waverly mumbled.

"Well, he's a jerk, and he's with Rosita now, anyway. He just needs to move on. Camp's a great place to do that, you know," Wynonna rambled, giving herself a pep talk more than actually talking to Waverly. "I mean look at Chrissy and Haught Pants. They're hitting it off, and they just met. I did really pin Chrissy down as the most heterosexual person on Earth, but whatever gets your pants sticky, you know?"

Waverly nodded, not properly hiding the crease that appeared between her eyebrows. Once inside the mess hall, Waverly stood in line, watching Nicole and Chrissy talk. Nicole wasn't laughing, even though Chrissy was. Maybe that was a sign that Nicole really wasn't into Chrissy like Wynonna had suggested. There was a sadness in her eyes, or maybe embarrassment, and Waverly wanted to know why. She wanted to make it go away. She sighed, smiling as Dolls scooped a portion of vegan cheese grits onto her plate. Wynonna had left her sister to join Dolls and Shorty in the kitchen. She and Dolls were alternating kitchen duty, since their tryst in the canoe. One would help Shorty prepare and serve meals and the other would clean, alternating at each meal. Once her plate was full, Waverly turned towards Nicole's table. She pushed her shoulders back, preparing to sit next to the redhead and find out if anything was wrong. Nicole's eyes glanced towards her before shooting back down to her plate. Waverly was steps away from the table when she felt a small hand tug at her belt loop. 

"Miss Waverly?" Riley asked, her little fingers slipping away from Waverly's hip. Riley had spent almost the entire night crying against Waverly's shoulder. She was the youngest camper in Waverly's cabin, and she was more homesick than any camper Waverly had ever met. 

"Hey, sweetie," Waverly answered, squatting down to the little girl's height and smiling softly. 

"Can you sit with me?" Riley asked, her arms moving slowly back and forth, Waverly assumed from nerves. 

"Of course," Waverly answered, trying her best not to sigh or sound disappointed. 

Sure, she knew Chrissy was straight and would never have a thing for Nicole, but she also knew that Nicole wasn't straight, and the jealous part of her worried that the redhead had a thing for blondes or something. She followed the small girl to a table with a few other campers, trying to set aside any worry and talk with the campers, just like her counselors had done when she had been little. 

\-------

"So a wet dream?" Chrissy asked.

"I did not say that," Nicole growled. 

"Woah woah woah. I just asked how you were doing with your huge Waverly crush," Chrissy laughed, holding her hands up in surrender. "I did not expect you to say you dreamed about her."

"It was just a dream," Nicole huffed, stabbing her sausage patty for the seventh time and leaving her fork sticking straight up.

"So... what were you doing in this dream?" 

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Chrissy quirked an eyebrow, obviously enjoying torturing Nicole. 

"We had a picnic," Nicole relented. 

"Oh a picnic," Chrissy nodded, lowering her voice suggestively. "So what was dessert?"

"That's enough." Nicole stood up from the table, rapidly, causing nearby campers and counselors to stare at her. 

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'll stop." Chrissy yanked her arm, pulling the redhead back into her seat. "I'm really just living vicariously through this, since my boyfriend and I just broke up. Forgive me?"

Nicole nodded, shoving a bite of food into her mouth. 

"So it was a good dream?"

Nicole nodded again, not trusting her voice to answer. 

"A really good dream?" Chrissy asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Stop it, Chrissy. I seriously can't even look at Waverly right now."

"Well, you won't be able to avoid her. She thinks your cool, and she'll probably want to talk to you, especially if you try to avoid her."

\-------

"All right, guys. We're hiking. Woohoo," Wynonna deadpanned. She stood in front of the entire camp, running through a list of trail guidelines. 

Nicole was walking through the campers with an enlarged photo of poison ivy and poison oak, showing them all what to avoid. 

Rosita and Waverly were making the rounds with bug spray, and Doc and Dolls were doing the same with sunscreen. 

"So, basically if you see foliage, don't roll in it," Wynonna finished, clapping her hands together. "Let's move out!" She stomped toward her campers and waved her hands, moving the kids along and into the woods. 

"Hey, guys," Waverly cooed to her campers. "So, I thought it might be fun to do a scavenger hunt while we walk." She handed out a few sheets of paper that had different pictures of trees, wildflowers, and animals.

"Got anymore of those?" Nicole asked, having worked up the courage to talk to the younger Earp. She hadn't wanted Waverly to feel like she'd done anything to upset her, so she decided to suck up her own feelings and just pretend like her dream had never happened. 

"Do I ever?" Waverly beamed. She reached into her backpack and handed a few sheets of the scavenger hunt paper to Nicole. 

"Thanks," Nicole smiled, walking beside Waverly as their campers ran ahead towards the trailhead. 

"I kind of thought you might be upset about something. You've seemed a little down," Waverly admitted. 

"I'm not upset."

"That's what Chrissy said," Waverly nodded. "I'm glad you two have been getting along so well."

Waverly fiddled with the ring on her index finger, spinning it around and around. She wanted to ask Nicole, point blank, if she were interested in Chrissy, but she knew she'd never be bold enough to ask. 

"Yeah she's nice."

"She is," Waverly hummed. "She's a great friend, and super bubbly. I worried that she'd still be down this summer, since she and Perry just broke up, but she seems to be doing just fine."

"Yeah, she told me about the ex-boyfriend."

"Ever since I've known her, she's had boys running after her, but Perry was the most serious," Waverly nodded, hoping that mentioning Chrissy's boyfriends would be a subtle way to imply that Chrissy was straight. 

Nicole simply hummed in reply, wondering why Waverly seemed to want to talk about Chrissy. In a way, she was grateful, though. It was easy to forget about how she'd dreamed about pulling Waverly's shirt off and kissing her neck when Waverly rambled about her friend. 

"She's like the straightest person I know," Waverly blurted out, a blush creeping up her neck immediately. 

"What?" Nicole asked, her brow furrowing.

"I- uh- I mean- She's straight."

"I know," Nicole laughed. "That's pretty obvious."

Waverly's jaw clenched, and her blush spread even further, down her neck and onto her chest. 

"My gaydar's actually pretty finely tuned," Nicole said, bumping into Waverly's shoulder. She noticed that Waverly was blushing, perhaps worried about blurting out something like that, and she wanted to soothe any worries that were taking over Waverly's mind. 

"Really?" Waverly asked, her eyes wide, wondering if Nicole could tell that she was crushing on the redhead. 

"I mean, it's pretty good." 

"I found a wild strawberry!" One of the campers called back to Waverly and Nicole.

"Write it down," Waverly instructed, her hands moving to pull her backpack straps tighter on her shoulders. 

\-------

When the entire group had made it to Carson Lake, Chrissy pulled Nicole aside. 

"What?" Nicole asked, wincing at the tightness of Chrissy's grip. 

"How was the hike?"

"What?" Nicole asked, completely dumbfounded as to why Chrissy cared about the hike she'd just had with Waverly. 

"I mean, you got to talk to Waverly. Did anything come of that?"

"Well, I now know for a fact that _you're_ straight," Nicole said, pulling her hand away and walking back to where Waverly was with their two group of campers. 

"Huh?" Chrissy mumbled behind Nicole. 

The campers were stripping down to their bathing suits and running towards where Doc, Rosita, and Wynonna were wading in the lake. The beach was slightly rocky, but the air was hot and humid, and the water was the perfect intermission for the four mile hike. Waverly turned around to smile at Nicole, already out of her t-shirt and sporting a bikini top and her jean shorts. 

"Hey, you want to swim?" Waverly asked, her eyes crinkling as she smiled. 

"Oh god," Nicole mumbled to herself, squeezing her eyes shut before smiling back, nodding yes to swimming, and praying that she'd survive the rest of the summer with Waverly Earp. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you so much for reading. I hope everyone is staying healthy, safe, and happy!


	7. And Then We Played Chicken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Waverly get closer and closer at the lake, Wynonna cheats, and everyone but Waverly gets sunburned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody! The chaos that was moving in a full to busting minivan with my girlfriend, two cats, and a dog is finally over, and I am finally posting this chapter! I hope you all enjoy some more Camp Pinecrest fun, especially before tonight's (probably) angsty, (definitely) amazing episode!

Nicole gulped, squeezing her hands into fists. Waverly was still smiling, unbuttoning her shorts, just like Nicole had during her dream. She slid her shorts down her muscular legs, revealing matching bikini bottoms. The bikini was pink and flowery, and Nicole couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to take it off of Waverly. 

"Sure, let's swim!" Nicole called, her voice breaking slightly. She untied her hiking boots and peeled off her socks, all while Waverly stood beside her, waiting to head to the lake together. Of course, a part of Nicole was happy that Waverly was waiting. She loved the company, and she liked knowing that Waverly wanted to spend time with her. However, the more logical part of Nicole knew that spending time with Waverly would only make her fall for the brunette even more. It would only lead to more hurt. So, as much as she loved that Waverly was standing beside her, humming softly to herself, Nicole wished that the younger Earp would join her sister in the lake and wait for Nicole from a safe distance. 

Nicole pulled off her tank top, revealing a dark blue, sports bra-style bikini top. She glanced briefly at Waverly, noticing that the humming had abruptly stopped. Instead of humming, Waverly's mouth sat agape, her eyes glued to Nicole's chest. 

Nicole subtly cleared her throat, watching as Waverly's eyes shot up to Nicole's before the brunette blushed and bent down to slide her shoes under her backpack. Before Waverly could stand back up, Nicole had slid her cargo shorts off and tossed them on top of her boots. She adjusted her matching blue boy short bottoms and nodded toward the lake, indicating that she was ready, before stepping toward the water. 

"Nicole?" Waverly called from a couple steps behind her. 

"Huh?" Nicole spun around to face the brunette. 

"Could you- I mean- Would you mind?" Waverly asked, holding a tube of sunscreen toward Nicole and pointing a thumb over her shoulder at her back. 

Nicole's head spun. She felt her mouth go dry immediately, and without conscious consent, her head nodded. She took the sunscreen from Waverly and squeezed a little onto the palm of her hand. Waverly turned around and swept her hair out of the way, closing her eyes and trying to calm her nerves. She felt Nicole's hands run over her shoulders, sending chills down her spine, despite the heat that bloomed at every point of contact. 

Nicole breathed deeply, hoping that she could remain calm despite her close proximity to Waverly. 

"Will you make sure to get it under the straps?" Waverly asked meekly. 

Nicole lifted one of the bikini straps, running her hand against Waverly's skin. Her dream hadn't done any of this justice. Even though applying sunscreen was by no means sensual, the electricity that Nicole felt on Waverly's skin sent warmth throughout her body. If she could feel this way while protecting Waverly from sun damage, she had no idea how she'd ever survive anything more. She moved her hands to the small of Waverly's back, focusing on the soft lapping of water on the lake shore. She was trying to zone out on something else, so that her breathing could regulate itself again. She was watching Rosita splash water at Doc when she felt her finger slip just beneath the waistband of Waverly's bikini bottoms. 

"Oh!" Waverly squealed, jerking away from Nicole and laughing softly when she turned around to see the redhead's mortified face. 

Her finger must have only slipped a millimeter under the waistband, but Nicole's entire face, neck, and chest erupted in a dark red blush. 

"I am so sorry, Waverly," Nicole pleaded, feeling that same guilt that she'd felt after her dream claw its way up to her throat. "I'm so so sorry."

"It's totally fine," Waverly said, her smile back on her face. She ran her fingers along Nicole's forearm, trying to soothe whatever embarrassment Nicole was feeling. 

"I think you're good to go." Nicole handed her the tube of sunscreen and spun on her feet, heading toward the water. 

"Do you need any?" Waverly called to her.

"No, I'm good," Nicole responded, waving her hand behind her. She'd rather burn to a crisp than let Waverly Earp touch her and send her spiraling into some sort of wet dream-induced coma. 

_"I have got to get away from Waverly Earp," Nicole thought to herself._ Nicole shook her head, aiming to sink into the lake water and cool off. Images from her dream kept flashing through her mind, and she couldn't help but think about pulling on Waverly's bikini top strings and untying them. The whole time she'd been applying sunscreen, she'd wanted to lean forward and kiss Waverly's back, to see if kissing her would light her whole body on fire. She needed to get away from the brunette, to get rid of all her thoughts, all of her dreams. The guilt of wanting to push Waverly down onto her bed and- 

" _Stop," Nicole chastised herself again._

Waverly had been nothing but kind to her, and she was repaying the favor by imagining the brunette in compromising situations. Her feet touched the cool water before she could imagine any other scenario.

"Hey, Haught Sauce," Wynonna said, punching Nicole in the shoulder. 

"Wynonna," Nicole mumbled, continuing to walk until the water was up to her waist.

"So, you and Nedley junior?" Wynonna asked, her eyebrow lifting up suggestively. 

"Excuse me?" 

"Chrissy."

Nicole stared blankly at Wynonna, waiting for an explanation. 

"You're getting naked for Nedley," Wynonna said, lifting her hand in a high five. "I guess she needed to get under a girl to get over a guy." 

"She's literally the straightest person I know," Nicole defended.

"I know! That's why I'm surprised."

"Why does everyone think I'm into Chrissy Nedley," Nicole grumbled, sinking under the water to escape the older Earp. 

"Nicole!" Waverly called when Nicole resurfaced.

Nicole wiped the water from her eyes and took a deep breath. Clearly her desire to stay away from Waverly wasn't going to work, since the younger Earp seemed bound and determined to spend every second of their time at the lake together. Nicole turned around in the water, immediately noticing how much shorter Waverly was than her. While the water reached Nicole's waist, it was past Waverly's, resting on her ribs. With all of the campers and counselors moving in the water, the surface of the lake lapped upward towards Waverly's chest. 

Waverly reached out and grabbed a hold of Nicole's arm to steady herself. 

"Are you okay? You seem super flustered," Waverly asked, her eyes brimming with worry. 

"I'm fine, Waverly. Really."

"It really didn't-" Waverly started. Whatever she was about to say was interrupted by her older sister side tackling the smaller girl into the water. 

Waverly and Wynonna disappeared under the surface of the lake, leaving Nicole, standing awkwardly with her toes sinking into the muddy floor of the lake. 

"Wynonna, I swear to God," Waverly growled, spitting water out of her mouth. Her hair, now drenched, was sticking to her shoulders and face. 

Nicole couldn't help but reach out and push a few strands away from Waverly's cheeks. She wanted to kick herself for being so bold, especially after embarrassing herself while applying sunscreen to Waverly's back, but she also couldn't help but notice that the younger Earp's anger seemed to deflate when Nicole touched her face. Waverly grinned at Nicole, reaching out to brush her fingers against Nicole's before pulling them back and putting her hands on her hips. 

"Well, now that your hair is already wet, you can play me in chicken," Wynonna announced, her grin growing. 

Especially in that moment, Nicole could see the resemblance between the two sisters. They were both competitive and wore the same grin. 

"I call Dolls!" Wynonna called, attempting to run through the deep water. 

Waverly stood, letting out a soft huff before spinning on her heel and looking right at Nicole. Nicole's stomach dropped, knowing exactly what the younger Earp sister was about to ask. 

"I need a partner to kick my sister's ass. Would you mind?"

Any resolve that Nicole ever pretended to have crumbled when Waverly looked at her pleadingly. 

"Let's kick some ass," Nicole agreed, letting Waverly grab onto her hand and lead her toward where Wynonna was, already atop Dolls' shoulders. 

Nicole closed her eyes and swallowed the thick lump that had formed in her throat. She had dreamed about her hands between Waverly Earp's legs. She'd dreamed about taking her clothes off and lying on top of the shorter girl. She'd imagined the kind of sighs and moans that would come out of Waverly's mouth if Nicole kissed or touched the right spot. The thought of Waverly's legs resting on Nicole's shoulders, of her feet hooking around her back, of her hands tangling in her hair, made Nicole shiver. 

"I- I-uh- I guess I'll be on top?" Waverly asked, her cheeks flushing slightly. 

"That sounds good," Nicole responded, hoping her throat didn't crack and reveal how nervous she was about the entire scenario. 

Nicole ducked under water, allowing Waverly to hook her legs over her shoulders. When she rose back into a standing position, Waverly was situating herself against Nicole. Waverly ran her fingers over Nicole's forehead to wipe any strands of red hair off of her face. 

After Rosita counted to three to start the game of chicken, Dolls walked forward, aiming to get Wynonna close enough to push Waverly off of Nicole. Wynonna reached out, only able to push one of her hands against Waverly's shoulder. Still, Nicole could feel Waverly teetering above her. She reached her hands up and rested them on Waverly's knees, hoping that the brunette on top of her wouldn't be opposed to the extra balancing help. Despite Dolls' and Wynonna's approach, Nicole couldn't focus her attention on the game. Her hands were tingling against Waverly's knees, and her brain was short circuiting with every touch of Waverly's fingers in her hair. 

"I think you chose the wrong partner, Waves! Haught Shit isn't even moving," Wynonna heckled, pushing both of her hands against Waverly's. 

"It's called the long game, Wynonna! Slow and steady!" Waverly called back, digging her heels into Nicole's waist. 

"Dolls, now!" Wynonna called.

"Dolls isn't allowed to help," Waverly called, barely getting her sentence out before Dolls jerked his leg behind Nicole's and pulled. 

Nicole stumbled forward, catching herself with her left foot and sliding her hands even further up Waverly's legs to hold onto the smaller girl. She righted herself, her brain already clouding with the feeling of Waverly's thighs beneath her fingertips. Waverly's skin was even smoother than Nicole had imagined, and she couldn't help but remember how Waverly had moaned when Nicole touched her thighs in her dream. 

Waverly's head was spinning with the same touch. Her thighs were burning and tingling, and she wondered what it would feel like to have Nicole touch her in a different scenario, not just in a game of chicken. She shook her head and glared at her sister. 

"That's cheating, and you know it, Wynonna. I expected more from you, Dolls!" Waverly called. 

Nicole's hands stayed frozen on Waverly's thighs, her entire body glued to the spot her left foot had landed on. 

"Nicole, you okay?" Waverly asked. 

"Yeah," Nicole sighed. 

"'Cause, no offense, but I need you to get in the game!" Waverly grumbled, her hands wrestling with Wynonna's. "It's movie night tonight. If we win, I'll let you pick the movie!" 

Nicole's brain snapped to attention. She was tired of letting the campers choose. For the past three movie nights, the campers had chosen Zootopia, and there were only so many times you could watch a bunny cop kick ass in one week before getting bored. Nicole actually thought that, gun to her head, she could quote ever single word of the movie by now. 

Nicole lunged forward, while Waverly pushed her palms into Wynonna's chest. The older Earp rolled backward off of Dolls' shoulders, her hands clawing at Dolls' back. Nicole continued to move forward, sinking down slightly, so that Waverly could reach Wynonna's legs and lift them off of Dolls' shoulders. 

Waverly squealed when Wynonna fell into the water. She squeezed Nicole's shoulders and brushed her thumbs lightly across her skin. 

"You suck!" Wynonna spat when she resurfaced. "I want a rematch!"

"Rules are rules, and you lost," Waverly responded smugly, lifting one of her legs off of Nicole's shoulders. 

Nicole ducked down into the water again to help Waverly dismount. 

"So what's the movie choice tonight? Zootopia?" Waverly teased. 

"Absolutely not," Nicole responded, having trouble keeping the grin off of her face, despite Wynonna's glare. 

Waverly laughed softly, a sound that melted Nicole immediately. She never thought she'd be this soft for anyone, this absolutely unable to resist someone. That laugh was something Nicole wanted to hear for the rest of her life. She loved Waverly's soft giggles, her loud laughs that rocked her whole body, her quiet chuckles when she knew she shouldn't be laughing. More than anything, Nicole wanted to be the person who made Waverly laugh. 

"Thanks," Waverly whispered, running her hand along Nicole's wrist and hands, pausing her movements to play with each of Nicole's fingers. She moved almost absentmindedly, like her brain couldn't even keep up with the movements of her hands. 

"For what?"

"For being my partner. For playing the game with me," Waverly shrugged pulling Nicole by the hand toward the shore. 

Nicole followed behind, holding tightly to Waverly's hand. She was completely incapable of not following the younger Earp wherever she wanted to go, and suddenly Nicole's whole plan of staying away from Waverly, at least until her feelings could die down, seemed to fly out the window. 

When they reached the shore, Waverly tenderly stepped over the rocks, climbing back up to the bank where she had left her backpack and clothes. She picked a clear spot on one of the flatter rocks and sat down, stretching her legs in front of her. 

"Wanna sit?" She asked, patting the spot next to her. 

"Sure." Nicole sat down next to Waverly, making sure to keep a foot between them. 

Despite the attempt at keeping space, however, Waverly scooted a few inches closer before laying down on the ground. She felt herself blush, hoping that Nicole couldn't notice how nervous she felt in such close proximity to the redhead. She closed her eyes and tried to remember the hundreds of times she and Wynonna had chosen to spend their day soaking up sun next to the lake. Those were happy memories, moments when Waverly felt most at peace. This moment was different, though. She wouldn't say she felt chaotic or stressed. There was definitely still peace in the silence that Waverly shared with Nicole, lying right next to her with her eyes closed. There was also a nervous energy that seemed to overtake her, an electricity that prickled every one of her nerve endings and kept her from truly relaxing. 

"I'm really glad we won," Waverly whispered, tilting her head to the side to look at Nicole. The redhead was lying down, eyes closed. Her hair was even brighter in the sunlight, and her eyelashes were much longer than Waverly had originally thought. 

"Me too," Nicole mumbled. "I can see you two are competitive."

"Sometimes it's just nice to knock the smug smile off of Wynonna's face."

"I get that. She was accosting me about 'getting naked with Nedley junior' before we played the game, so I enjoyed beating her."

Waverly choked out a laugh, feeling the same embarrassment that she had felt earlier during the hike when she'd also thought Nicole was interested in Chrissy. 

"Sorry about that," Waverly mumbled. 

"No need to be," Nicole shrugged. "Chrissy's a nice person, but she's not my type. She's a good friend. I can tell why you two are best friends."

"Me and Chrissy? Well we've known each other for a while, since elementary school actually. We didn't really become best friends until last summer though."

"I just assumed you two were long time besties," Nicole said, finally opening her eyes and turning her face toward Waverly's. 

"We were friends growing up, but then we went away to separate colleges and grew apart. Last year, though, she was really here for me."

Nicole nodded, not wanting to pry. She could see some hesitation in the brunette's eyes. There was worry and sadness. 

"I had my first sort of relationship last year. Only, it turned out not to be a relationship, and Chrissy really helped me through everything when it kind of exploded in my face."

"I'm sorry, Waves," Nicole whispered. She wanted her words to convey as much sensitivity as possible. She wanted Waverly to know that she really meant it, that she really believed that bad things shouldn't happen to people as kind and accepting as Waverly Earp. 

Waverly's stomach flipped at the nickname. It was something only family and very close friends called her, and while she heard it a lot from Wynonna, it sounded different coming from Nicole. It made Waverly's cheeks burn from smiling. 

"Well, it was this other counselor. He's no longer allowed to work here, since Gus and Curtis found out that he was sleeping around with another counselor. Not that I was sleeping with him!" Waverly corrected, just in case Nicole would think poorly of her. "It's just not allowed... sleeping with each other on camp grounds isn't allowed, and he did. Of course, he also told me that we were exclusive, so he was quite the rule breaker." Waverly popped her lips together softly. She felt somewhat awkward for word vomiting to Nicole, especially about a boy that she really didn't care about. He was absolutely nothing compared to the striking redhead beside her. 

"That's a dick move," Nicole said, moving her hand slowly to hold onto Waverly's. "My first girlfriend was nice, but she fell in love with someone else while we were together. She didn't really cheat, but we did break up because of it. Plus, by the time we were broken up, I started to realize that I wasn't really that brokenhearted. I wasn't that invested. I don't think I've ever really been in love," Nicole finished, wondering why she'd shared so much. 

Waverly took a deep breath before nodding in agreement. 

"Me either," she sighed. 

Nicole squeezed her hand before sitting up off the ground. The other counselors were starting to get out of the water and corral kids into smaller groups to head back to the campgrounds. 

"I didn't mean to share so much. That was probably too much information. Sometimes I ramble and-"

"Waverly, you didn't share too much. I love talking to you," Nicole stood up and reached down to help Waverly up off the ground. Both of their swimsuits had already dried in the sun, and Nicole could feel the beginning of a sunburn tingle on her skin. "I'm sure that there's a guy somewhere who'll sweep you off your feet," Nicole mumbled, feeling even more certain that Waverly was as straight as Chrissy and completely off limits to Nicole. 

"Sure, _someone_ might just sweep me off my feet," Waverly agreed, hoping that Nicole could pick up on her word choice. 

The two girls walked toward their belongings and slipped their shorts and shoes on slowly. 

"You should've let me put sunscreen on you," Waverly said, laughing softly and slinging her backpack over her shoulders. 

"I know," Nicole grumbled. The straps of her shirt brushed against her skin as she pulled it on, and she winced, trying not to cry out and give Waverly more satisfaction. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, as always, for reading! I hope all of you are staying healthy, happy, and safe!


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